Mint Theater Presents Reading of The Age of Innocence March 27

The Drama Desk and Obie Award-winning Mint Theater Company will continue its season dedicated to neglected plays by American women by presenting a rare staged reading of Margaret Ayer Barnes's dramatization of Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence. The reading will be presented at the Mint Theater on March 27th.

Barnes's dramatization played for over 200 performances in 1928 with Katharine Cornell playing Madame Olenska. Rollo Peters played Newland Archer. Cornell then toured the country in the role.

Stuart Howard will direct a cast of eleven: Jennifer Harmon, Darrie Lawrence, Claire Lautier, Michael Leddick, Sal Mistretta, Dennis Parlato, Derek Smith, Samantha Soule, Molly Stuart, Jeff Talbott and Gregory Wooddell.

Margaret Ayer Barnes took up writing at thirty at the encouragement of playwright Edward Sheldon. Barnes and Sheldon then collaborated on two plays, Jenny and Dishonored Lady, which also starred Cornell. Barnes won the Pulitzer Prize in 1931 for her first novel, Years of Grace. Age of Innocence was never published or revived, but Mint artistic director Jonathan Bank found a copy of a typescript in the library at Bryn Mawr University.

Audiences can choose to attend the reading only or have dinner at Le Madeline before the show with Mint artistic director Jonathan Bank and special guest Linda Costanzo Cahir, co-editor of The Edith Wharton Review, to discuss Wharton and Barnes and to hear some fun backstage gossip from the Broadway production starring Katharine Cornell.

Tickets for the reading at 7:30 PM are $25; tickets for the reading and dinner at Le Madeline (which begins at 5:30 PM) are $85 and either may be purchased by calling 212-315-0231 or at www.minttheater.org.

The Mint Theatre is located on the Third Floor of 311 West 43rd Street. Performances of Soldier's Wife continue though April 2nd, Tickets for the remaining performances of Soldier's Wife are $45 and are available by calling (212) 315-0231 or online.